Black Dragonfly
by Rocket Grunt Karl
Summary: Ryou; the quiet, well-mannered, polite, sweet, self-conscious, submissive boy. Lydia; the Goth, blunt, no-nonsense, intimidating, confident girl. How did they ever get along? And why was he so drawn to her? Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey everyone! This is my first attempt at a Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfiction. I wanted to write this story because there was a severe lack of non slash stories focused around Ryou Bakura. I just felt like there deserves to be more of it._

_A few notes before I begin:_

_I refer to Ryou Bakura through the story as both Ryou AND Bakura. The Spirit in the Ring will NOT be identified with that name. I will simply refer to him as the "Spirit," this will be explained later in the series. So please, don't be confused when you see ' ...Bakura said...' It's not referring to the Yami, as most people write it. Thanks._

_This is a story about Teenagers. Therefore, they will act stupid and do and say stupid things and like things I may not enjoy myself but will write for the sake of the characters. Everyone went through "phases." Please don't scoff off the story because it has a "goth." If you came this far, you obviously haven't, so I'm happy. : ) But do keep in mind that they ARE still a thing, and NO they are NOT emo. Please learn the difference. Its insulting to the culture._

_and finally: A disclaimer that I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! There, I said it. If I did own it, Ryou Bakura would be the main character of the show and it would primarily be labeled as a Horror genre similar to Silent Hill. Hm. Maybe it is for the better I don't own it after all..._

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><p>Black Dragonfly<p>

Chapter 1

"Another country, another new start."

Domino City, Japan; just the latest city in the long stream of places she had moved in her life. She couldn't even remember how many different places she had been. This was her first ever time in Japan however, and hopefully her father's business would last longer than their previous. _That_ had been a disaster.

The seventeen year old huffed as she threw herself onto her bare mattress, the thick layers of black lace wrinkling under her weight. She closed her eyes and scrunched her nose. The room smelled like it was doused with Clorox. Her room was smaller than her previous one in London. She had only one window that was directly opposite where she had flopped her mattress down in her haste to organize her room. All around her were boxes, some opened and the neatness in which they were so carefully packed was disturbed in order to find some trinket or other buried inside. Some clothes were strewn about, different skirts of varying sizes and dresses, a few stockings, all in different shades of black, a lamp shaped like a spider, sat on the carpet and plugged half-hazardly into the wall. A stereo system was across from it, sharing the outlet. A dark mahogany dresser was sitting in the middle of the room, taking up most of the walking space. She was too exhausted to unpack or organize. That could wait until tomorrow. She sighed heavily and rolled over on her side, uncaring that her makeup smeared across her bare bed. She couldn't find her sheets at all. Grumbling, she grabbed her pillow and snuggled into it, closing her eyes and drifting to sleep.

"Fucking sun…"

She hadn't put too much thought into the placement of her bed the night before. The movers had finally come with their stuff and they could "officially" move into to their new house instead of staying at the hotel. She had carelessly thrown it into the corner of the room. Now, with the morning light streaming through the window opposite her bed, it glared right into her eyes. She realized right away that she would have to move her bed to a better location.

"Lyds, get up, you've got school this morning."

The voice was her dad's as he knocked on the door, but like any teenager, she rolled over, grumbled miserably, and tried to go back to sleep. Twenty minutes later, her father came by her door again, this time opening the door and nudging the girl.

"Come on, I told you to get up. You're going to be late."

He was a middle aged man, pressing forty-five with a pronounced belly and a balding head. He wore a thick pair of glasses and was already dressed in a business suit, fine black leather shoes and a nice splash of expensive cologne.

"I don't care…" she grumbled miserably, trying and failing to shrink into her pillow.

Her father sighed.

"Lydia. There's no time. I have a meeting. I promised I'd drive you to your new school so you know where it is, but it is in walking distance so I want to be familiar with the directions." There was grumbling as a reply. Her father kicked her mattress. "I said wake up!"

"I'm up! I'm up!" Lydia whined. "I've been up," she grumbled as her father walked out of the room. "I could smell you coming into the room. Your cologne is strong enough to wake the dead…"

"I heard that!" her father called.

Grumbling again, Lydia sat up and blinked blearily at the offending light. She hissed at it like it burned her and stood up, stretching. She walked over to her closet and pulled out the only thing hanging inside, the uniform she was given to her new school. Lydia frowned at it as she walked to the bathroom, unzippering her boots and throwing them carelessly onto the floor as she walked. She hated the uniform on sight. She would look like a freaking sailor moon character in this thing. Lydia was used to different dress codes and uniforms in school, having spent the majority of her life travelling because of her dad's business, but never had the uniform consisted of something so god awful and pink.

The girl frowned. She hated pink. Why couldn't they have something darker? Staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, Lydia blinked at the familiar sight of her streaked, slept in makeup. Sleeping in her clothes was somewhat of a bad habit. Dark eyeshadow and eyeliner bled down her face like raccoon eyes and her lipstick smudged. Shrugging, she washed her face and pulled off her clothes. It was hard for her to trade her black hose and long heavy laced skirts with some blue mini pleated thing and a pink monstrosity of an over jacket, but she pulled it on without question.

Fuck, did she have to wear this ridiculous _bow?_

Her father had tried unsuccessfully to hold back his amusement when the school had given her the uniform. Lydia would never be caught dead in this thing if she had her way, but rules were rules. Speaking of which…

Grumbling some more, the teenager went about removing her several rings and bracelets and chokers, knowing such things weren't allowed. She then removed her lip and nose ring as well as the three piercings in her ears. This school was very strict on what their student body was allowed to wear. Hell, she wasn't even allowed to wear the makeup she wished for, only allowing herself subtle eyeliner. Taking off her nail polish was another matter. Because she couldn't find her black nail polish during the move, she had resorted to using a sharpie marker out of boredom one night and now couldn't find any form of remover in the drawers. It was still packed away. Cursing loudly, she began rigorously washing and rubbing her fingernails until the tips of her fingers were red and sore. _Most_ of the color came off, but what was left on her nails was a discolored fade. Oh well, it would have to do. She quickly brushed her hair and went out the door. There was no time for a shower.

Her father was waiting for her when she came down stairs, and again failed miserably at the sight of her to hold back his laughter.

"I know. I look ridiculous," her voice was flat. "Can we just pretend like this is just another average day and that I am not dressed up like an anime character?"

"Well, at least its… different to see you in another color other then black," her father snorted. "Anyway, you ready?"

Lydia grabbed an orange from the fridge and her school bag. Luckily she had enough sense the night before to pack it with everything she needed.

"Yeah," she unenthusiastically spoke. "Off on another adventure. Maybe I'll catch a Pikachu on my way."

Her father chuckled at his daughter's humor and out the door they went.

* * *

><p>"Class settle down and let me introduce our new student: Lydia Guttman!"<p>

The teacher, a graying conservative dressed woman, smiled at the class as Lydia stood there, blinking at them. When she was introduced, she gave a half hearted smile and shrug.

"She comes here all the way from London, so let's try and make her feel welcome."

The students just sort of stared at her in bewilderment, as all students did. It was nothing new or different. All schools had the same introductions, more or less, all the same stupid faces staring at her expectantly, and Lydia had grown tired of it. After the first three times, she had gotten over the jitters of being in a new school, now it all just felt tedious. Some teachers asked her to introduce herself, to which she would give the same bland, generic response of "I am (add number here) years old, I like roller coasters, B movies and am allergic to ham." Thankfully, the teacher did not deem it necessary to have her "tell the class something about yourself." It was good too, Lydia already had a hard enough time as it was learning Japanese in such a short time. She wasn't even very good at it and still fumbled horribly with the Kanji.

When dismissed, Lydia took an empty seat she found near the back of the class. People stared at her with curiosity, but she paid them no attention. She could easily ignore them and that's exactly what she chose to do. Once the introduction was over, class resumed as normal.

Bakura hadn't paid too much attention to the new student until they mentioned she was a foreigner. He noticed her big eyes and fair complexion and her oddly colored hair. It was blue, very…_blue._ It obviously came out of a bottle. She stared disinterested at the class, and when indicated, waved slightly and gave a half hearted smile. She then took her seat and class went on as normal. He caught himself looking at her from time to time, somewhat struck by her odd appearance, not really used to meeting a foreigner and seeing them in the school's uniform. She was wearing it as were all the girls, but she kept fidgeting in it, always sitting up slightly to pull down the skirt or shrug her shoulders and pull at the blue bow of her jacket, a look of irritation on her face. She kept looking over the school work and frowning, but eventually her eyes drifted away from the work, clearly lost and had given up, and instead wandered around the classroom. Eventually, her hazel eyes landed on him and he started. He hadn't meant to stare at her. His chest clenched at being caught, he smiled mutely at her and looked away quickly, embarrassed. Ryou Bakura wasn't used to staring at people for so long. Not many people really caught his attention outside Yugi and his gang, and that was purely do to… _outside_ circumstances. The weight around his neck seemed to twinge.

Class ended and Ryou Bakura made sure not to look back at the new student… what did the teacher say her name was? Guttman…? He hastily got up from his seat and left for the next class. Part of him felt obligated to say something to the girl after their pathetic little interaction, welcome her or introduce himself or something. It was utterly idiotic of him to assume that such a reaction was warranted because he locked eyes with her, but Bakura suppressed it and kept walking. He wasn't a social person by nature. Bakura preferred to spend time alone, for many reasons.

It wasn't like Bakura disliked people or had an aversion to them, but he was always somewhat shy and awkward when it involved talking with people. He was socially awkward and submissive to the point of bullying most of the time. He had an awful time understanding how to talk with people and gain their trust, and a larger part of him didn't very much fancy trusting people. Bakura had been hurt enough to know that it was far better to avoid getting close to people. The Spirit of the Ring, no matter how _docile _he was now, still heavily impacted his early life. Because of this, Bakura grew wary of people and expected pain and sorrow to follow. It was simply safer to play the part of a polite, friendly schoolboy and stay at an arm's length from everyone.

So instead of trying to make new friends, Ryou Bakura liked to fade into the background. He walked past the new girl and went on to his next class.

Bakura didn't see the foreign student again until his third period Math class. There, she was introduced yet again to him. He took this time to study her, as it was acceptable considering everyone was looking at her and it wouldn't be weird if anyone noticed. She was of average height and her blue hair was unnaturally poofy and put up in two high pigtails. The only piece of jewelry she had was a black choker with what looked like a skull on it. One of her socks were sagging down, and she kept fidgeting her leg to keep it in place. Allergic to ham? That was interesting, he guessed. She again quietly found her seat and once again tried, and failed miserably to stay focused on the studies. Her eyes once again roved around the room, and a strange wave of déjà vu hit him as her eyes fell on his once more. This time, Bakura didn't turn away in such a rush. His chest clenched as their eyes met and he stared somewhat like an idiot at her. Recognition clicked in her brain at him and she raised an eyebrow, as if to say "yes?"

The eye contact wasn't maintained, as Bakura shook his head apologetically and smiled once more. The girl gave him a weird look before shrugging and looking away. The minute their gaze broke, Bakura let out the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. She was pretty. His face flushed.

When class had finished, Bakura made his way to lunch, uncomfortable with the notion that the new girl probably thought he was some weirdo. He didn't know why that bothered him so much to know.

On his way to lunch, he couldn't help but overhear some of the students talking rather unabashedly about the new student. This wasn't surprising. She came in half way through the year and was clearly foreign. Everyone was curious.

"I hear she's a vampire." One girl said. "Yuki-san asked her about her hair and she hissed at her—hissed!"

"I asked her if she was and she snapped her teeth at me!"

"What? No way!"

"Yeah!"

"Don't be stupid, vampires don't exist. She's just an American."

"How is that any different?"

They all shared in the laugh, completely oblivious to the fact that the subject of their amusement brushed passed them. Bakura watched her go in amazement. She barely seemed phased by the comments. He was sure she couldn't have missed them, they were being so loud. Still the girl acted as if she didn't hear them and continued on her way to the lunch hall. She sat at a nearly empty table. It was his favored table for that exact same reason. Still unwilling to make conversation, he kept to himself and silently looked on. He couldn't help but pry, since there were so few people at their table and Ryou rarely spoke with anyone during lunch.

People approached her, chatted a bit, but they didn't seem to stay. There was something about Lydia's mannerisms that seemed very unwelcoming, and anyone that tried to talk to her wound up leaving, looking downright offended or disgusted. She seemed either downright confrontational to people, or acted as if they bored her. Her behavior was only _somewhat_ understandable given how most of the students approached her. They didn't introduce themselves or act overly friendly, they just seemed to want to _know_ things about her. Skipping introductions to questions like where she was from, was she a vampire, did she have tattoos, was she into occult. They were downright offensive, to be honest. Her responses were usually very calm if not highly sarcastic. She acted as if she didn't care, answered most of them somewhat seriously (he says somewhat because he seriously doubted that her entire back was covered in a tattoo of Satan, or so he hoped). Other people who were somewhat friendly still seemed more interested in her in a morbidly curious way, and to these people she simply was standoffish, as if she had no interest in being their friends.

The whole experience was rather fascinating. He continued to watch, under the guise of eating his lunch.

That's when the trouble had started. Apparently one of the older students didn't like foreigners, or something of the kind. Bakura was embarrassed to admit he didn't know the names of most of his peers. Half the time, he struggled with his own grade, let alone the older ones. The girl, who was rather skinny and no real threat, walked up to Guttman as if she had some sort of righteous duty. She slammed her hands on the table in front of Lydia, who had ignored her entire march towards her, picking at her food. When she slammed his hands down, the girl slowly raised her head, offering a bored raise of an eyebrow.

"You have a problem with my brother?"

Lydia blinked at the new commner a few times, eyes shifting slightly in thought.

"Erm, no?" she offered in a defensive sneer.

The girl curled her lip.

"Don't give me that. He already told me how much of a bitch you are."

Lydia gave her a stare, as if she was a child throwing a tantrum.

"Are you for real?"

"Yes, I'm for real," she growled. "Apologize to him!"

Lydia stared at her for a second, her mouth then huffed a laugh.

"Uh, no."

"Bitch!"

Then there was a clatter of what could only be the cafeteria food tray. Bakura whipped his head up just in time to see the girl's food tray clanking and spilling next to her feet. The room had fallen into a silence as Lydia stood there, glaring at the girl, who she had grabbed by the collar of her uniform. She then leaned in and whispered something into the girl's ear, something he couldn't hear. The girl's eyes went wide and she scrambled away, leaving her food tray behind. Lydia stood there glaring at the ground as everyone watched on in shock. Then, as quick as it happened, everyone went about their lunch, pretending they didn't see a thing.

Bakura was left sitting there with his mouth hung open. Never had he expected violence or anything similar to come from this. It was rather shocking to him. He turned to look at Lydia, who had sat back down and continued to eat her food, or play with it more so. She pushed around the rice on her plate, seemingly losing her appetite. Bakura mulled over what would happen next. No one even approached her after that fiasco, and the white haired boy wondered if that was part of her plan to begin with. Even still, Bakura's heart was racing. Whenever there was the slightest bit of confrontation or conflict, Bakura became nervous, frightened and fidgety. He had started to sweat slightly and cursed himself for always reacting to things like this even when he wasn't even involved. He felt the Ring around his neck pulse, and the familiar laugh of the Spirit inside mocking him once again for it.

He had wanted to ask if she was alright, but he was too taken aback by the situation, he merely sat there like an idiot and kept eating. After a few more minutes, a teacher walked in and asked Lydia to come with her. The minute she was out the door, a few people snickered.

Lydia Guttman shared no more classes with him that day. He didn't see her until after classes, where everyone was rushing to their lockers to clear them for the day. People seemed to stay clear from her after the incident at lunch. He could tell simply by how everyone got quiet when they walked by her, or kept giving her wary stares, as if she would jump at them and choke them. Lydia herself simply ignored it, almost as if she was used to such a thing.

Part of him wondered why he was focusing so much on the new girl. There was just something different about her that made him curious. Now she was somewhat of a misfit and he knew it wasn't something that would go away with time. She had forever just branded herself as the "foreign dark girl" who could beat you up. A part of him pitied that. He knew what it was like to be the outcast and being alone. The fear having left him at lunch, Bakura bravely approached her, feeling his body tense.

She didn't notice his presence at first as she dumped her books rather unceremoniously into her schoolbag, loose papers flying about. She simply crumpled them in her effort to smash them inside.

"Excuse me," he coughed pathetically. His voice trembled as it normally did, and his nerves began to act up again.

At the sound of the soft voice, Lydia looked up. She looked him up and down with a raised brow before turning to her locker and continued to fill her bag.

"Yes?" she asked in a dry voice.

Bakura had no idea why he was so nervous.

"Well, erm, I've seen you a couple times in my classes and I saw what happened to you at lunch and… erm..." he didn't know what he was babbling and he probably looked like an idiot. Why did he always fumble when talking to pretty girls? This is precisely why he didn't!

"I'm not going to snap your neck in half, if that's what you're worried about," she gave an amused smile. "I didn't even do anything to the chick."

"No, I… a-ha!" he laughed stupidly at the joke and tried to collect himself. "I simply wanted to know if you were alright? Some people can be awfully mean to new students…" He would know.

She slammed her locker harshly, loud enough that it made Bakura jump and cringe, the sound ringing in his ears.

"That's nice of you," she sounded anything but grateful. "But I'm fine, really."

She then threw her bag over her shoulder and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Bakura didn't know what he was even doing. The girl stopped and turned to him, somewhat curiously. "I'm Bakura, I'm pleased to meet you and welcome you to Domino City High school," he introduced rather lamely.

She stared at him for a short time, an amused smile on her face.

"Well, thanks for looking out for me then, _Bakura_," she tried his name, it made him feel kind of funny. "But I don't need pity from anyone." Here she gave him a wide smile. "I like the way I am." She then turned, continuing to leave.

Bakura stood there, feeling like an idiot. What had just happened, and why did he feel like he couldn't formulate words properly? He frowned when he reviewed her words. Pity? Bakura didn't talk to her out of pity. Did he? He didn't even know why he spoke to her. Maybe out of some weird sort of camaraderie. New student outcast; he knew all too well. _I like the way I am_. It was an odd statement. She liked being so different then. Hm. Maybe he didn't need to make her fit in, maybe she was trying to stay away from people.

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><p>When Lydia got home, the first thing she did was throw her bag onto the floor, uncaring if she did a piss poor job zipping it and all its contents poured onto the floor, and changed out of her uniform. Pulling on a loose black skirt and top, she collapsed onto the couch. She had gotten lost on her first walk home. She had tried to pay attention when her father had driven her to school, but it was hard to remember it in reverse and she was still half asleep when she arrived at school. Now she was too lazy to unpack or do homework. She groaned, turned around and switched on the TV. Everything was in Japanese and she was still unfamiliar with any of the programs or channels. Instead she settled on a stupid looking game show.<p>

Hours later her father came home. Like clockwork, he loosened his tie, threw his briefcase on the table as he argued with whoever he was on the phone with. Lydia ignored him as she continued to watch the program, eating a bowl of popcorn she had made for dinner.

After about twenty minutes, her father emerged and stood next to her. Lydia didn't look to acknowledge him as she watched the TV and munched away.

"Yo pops," she greeted finally, eyes still glued to the program.

He gave a loud sigh.

"Do you know who called me earlier today?"

Lydia looked up from her TV and stared at her father, giving a simple shrug.

"Your school," Mr. Guttman frowned. "You got into a fight already? It's only the first day."

Lydia groaned and turned off the TV, flipping onto her stomach to bury her face into the couch.

"It wasn't a fight," she mumbled into the pillows. "I just, look, the kid was being a real ass."

"Lydia, we talked about this."

Sighing, the dark girl pulled herself from the couch and met his eyes, a knowing look in her eyes.

"Yeah pops, I know. I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have done it, I know," she looked down at her feet, the black sharpie colored toenails stared back.

Mr. Guttman sighed and sat heavily in his seat next to his daughter. He dwarfed her in every possible way. The seat sank several inches. Throwing his arm over his daughter, he rubbed her arm.

"I know you try to avoid people, but why don't you at least try and make an effort to make friends at this school, eh? This deal may be our break and may remain permanent. So will you try this, for me?"

The girl tried her hardest not to smile as her father gently shook her and rubbed her shoulder. But with his constant pleas, a smile broke across her face and she nodded her head. "Okay, okay pops I promise. I'll try to make friends. There, happy?"

Standing up, Mr. Guttman grinned at his daughter. "Ecstatic. Now, about this hair business. Your teacher also told me…"

Lydia rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I already know. I'm going to go to the pharmacy after school tomorrow and see if I can change the color. It's too much of a break of standardized dress code. Heaven forbid any of their students show any kind of individuality!"

"I like your natural hair color," her father frowned. Lydia laughed.

"Okay pops. Now, how about dinner?"

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><p><em>Will Try to update frequently. Depends on how motivated I become and how much people are interested in it.<em>


	2. Chapter 2

Black Dragonfly

Chapter 2

Lydia prided herself in getting to school on time without getting lost.

She made it to her first period without any incident and flopped into her chair, pulling out her notebooks and preparing for the day. The other students piled in, but she paid them no real attention. In all honestly, she really wasn't trying to make friends and purposely pushed people away. She knew she looked rather weird and even though all the "gothic get up" (thanks pops) was missing, Lydia still gave off a dark presence, even if all she could wear to show it was a small piece of jewelry. She had already earned the nickname Vampire. It was amusing. She had been to enough schools and been through enough bullying to no longer really be affected by it. At first it had crippled her. She caved under the pressure of bullying. The idea of changing schools sounded amazing. But as the years went by and the bullying followed, the only thing that changed was the uniform she had to wear. Lydia learned to thicken her skin. Now, none of their looks or the things they said to her bothered her. It was immature and Lydia just ignored it. Sometimes, it was better to react to some of the comments just to get the message across that she didn't want to be bothered, but most of the time she just stayed to herself. Contrary to many other teenagers, Lydia rather liked her style. She liked black and skulls and horror movies and Victorian lace, and she didn't care if people talked about her. It made her happy, so who cared what anyone else felt?

Class started, and like the day before, Lydia felt lost half way through the lesson. She frowned and stared down at the workbook. They had been given semi-short notice of their move to Japan. Pops had gotten a good deal with a company to sell retail to, and Lydia didn't have much time to learn the language. She could speak it well enough to get by, even if it was heavy with accent, but she was still struggling with the written part. Rubbing her eyes, she groaned and smacked her head against the book. How was she supposed to get through school like this?

Feeling eyes on her, Lydia looked up and scanned the room. Her eyes met with the white haired boy from yesterday. It was the same kid who had been staring at her and had approached her. It was kind of creepy. She frowned at him as he smiled and quickly looked away, cheeks red with embarrassment. What was his problem? He was a weird one, even if his attention was rather amusing. He was pretty much the wimpiest looking boy she had ever seen. She was pretty sure her breath could blow him over. Lydia let the daydream play out in her head and chuckled at the stupidity. The kid would probably start balling his eyes out afterwards. It didn't help that he looked rather effeminate. Boys shouldn't have hair that pretty, she shook her head at her own stupid comment and tried to focus on her work.

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><p>Classes rolled by, and when lunch came, Bakura found himself sitting once again at the same table as Lydia, or more correctly, she had once again chosen to sit at his table. If she noticed he was there, she made no notion and began eating her food. Bakura did much the same, gently nibbling on his sandwich, trying to build up the courage to say something to her. He kept fidgeting in his seat and stealing glances at her. Finally, he stood up and brought his tray closer to her.<p>

He walked towards her end of the table, pausing for a second and then cleared his throat. She looked up slowly.

"Guttman-san… Do you mind if I sit here?"

She looked at him for a second, and he panicked for a moment over how she would respond. A ridiculous image of her grabbing him by the collar and tossing him aside flashed across his eyes before he banished the image.

"Yeah, sure." Then went back to her food.

It was an awkward silence that followed. He hadn't attempted to speak with her until he had finished half his meal. Then, finding his voice, he dared to speak up.

"So, you're from London?"

She stared at him suddenly, a curious look on her face.

"Mrs. Takahashi introduced you saying you were from London," he offered.

Recognition dawned on her.

"Ah, no. I'm from the States, originally. My father and I just travel a lot."

"Oh, it must be nice," Bakura smiled.

Lydia shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

There was another awkward silence. While he himself didn't travel so much, Ryou was used to his father always running about the world on business. Well, that was somewhat of a lie. Ryou had traveled quite a lot all around Japan. Because of his…_complications_ with the Ring, he was forced to move to many different schools. As such, Ryou had learned to keep to himself. He at first didn't even realize he was connected with the… disturbances at the schools, but sure enough he eventually couldn't deny it when his Monster World figurines began to look suspiciously like the missing students. After a while, Ryou just started distancing himself from people out of his fear for himself, and each new school became easier and easier to avoid people. This was the school he had remained at the longest. Her closed off nature reminded him of himself in that regard.

"It's lonely though, isn't it?" he suddenly spoke, face downcast.

The girl tilted her head. Bakura turned to look at her.

"Having to move around so much. Not really staying in one place long enough to make friends. Must be pretty lonely, huh?"

A strange look hit her face, it softened slightly and she shook her head.

"Yeah, it's pretty lonely," she mumbled. "I guess I kinda got over it though. I rather like being alone. You know? Just… easier,"

"Yeah, I understand," Bakura nodded his head. He understood more then she could ever know.

She suddenly turned to him.

"Why are you talking to me?"

Caught off guard by her question, Bakura faltered.

"I'm sorry, do I need a reason to talk to you?"

Her head tilted again. "Well no, but most people only do it for a reason. What's yours?"

What kind of question was that? And who even asks questions like that? He thought about it for a second, unsure of the answer himself, feeling very put on the spot. She was an interesting person, pretty too, this thought made him blush, but there was something else he couldn't name.

"I…" he started. "I don't know," he laughed. "I guess I just wanted to."

They stared at each other for a short time. Lydia began nodding her head slowly, taking the final bite of her sandwich.

"That's… well, that's a reason I guess," she shrugged. "I'm glad you think I'm so interesting."

"Well, you are," after saying these words, his face heated up with blush. "Erm, that is, I mean…"

Lydia seemed amused by his stuttering.

"Relax," she chuckled.

The sound of her laugh startled him into looked up at her, the blush not leaving his face.

"Are you always this…?" Bakura didn't mean to say it, but the words blurted out before he could stop them. He only managed to catch himself near the end.

"This what?" She raised an eyebrow.

What was he even going to say? Ryou didn't have a clue. Never had he met someone so…

"Blunt," Bakura finished. "Erm, straight forward. You just kind of… speak your mind about things."

The blue haired girl smirked slightly.

"That's a polite way of putting it," she sighed and leaned back, taking a bit of her sandwich. "I don't like bullshit. If you have something to say, just say it." She turned to him and her lip twisted into a small smirk. "That's my philosophy anyway."

"I…I see," Bakura replied, unsure of how to respond. She was so strange. Talked weirdly and made him feel weird. He wondered if it was simply a culture thing or if was just a Lydia Guttman thing.

"What did you say your name was again?"

Ryou was snapped form his thoughts.

"Bakura," he answered quickly. "Uh, Ryou Bakura."

"Bakura," she repeated. "Or do you prefer Ryou? Sorry, I'm still new to this whole, Japanese name thing."

Bakura had never really been asked which name he preferred to be called by. Everyone just called him Bakura. Not even his closest "friends" Yugi, and his gang, ever bothered calling him by his first name. It was somewhat intimate, and it made him blush even more.

"Oh…you can call me either," he swallowed hard. Why was this so difficult for him? He found his face heating up more and more and he couldn't even bring himself to look at her now.

"You sure?" she gave him a weird look. "Okay then, Ryou it is."

He was somewhat elated to hear his name, that she chose to speak it. It was some sort of boundary crossed, like a connection was made. It felt very personal, and he didn't know why he felt that way about someone who was basically a stranger.

"It's simple really, once you get used to the culture…." He offered.

"I'm sure I'll eventually get the hang of it," she sighed and looked towards the ceiling. "Right now I am barely getting through the writing."

Bakura' head shot up. "writing?"

Lydia nodded. "Yeah. There's still a lot of it I don't understand, and it makes doing work impossible. The teacher's are nice enough for now to let me turn in work in English, but eventually…"

"I can teach you, if you'd like," Bakura offered helpfully.

The girl turned to him with a small smile.

"Yeah? That'd be nice. That way, I won't look like a fucking idiot when I'm called on to read aloud."

Her curse made his cringe somewhat, not used to using language himself. He smiled gently however in response. Lydia suddenly turned to face him and he sat up straighter in response.

"It's no trouble." Something then occurred to him. "Guttman-san… could I ask you a question?"

She held up a hand as he spoke.

"Whoa, stop. Only if you promise never to call me that again. Just call me Lydia. Guttman-san just sounds so… God awful."

Something in his chest clenched at her request.

"Yes, of course," he nodded before continuing. "I've wondered since yesterday but um… your hair, is it…?"

"Natural?" Lydia caught on. She snorted in a rather unladylike fashion. "No. In fact I need to go to the drugstore or something after school to change it back to a "normal" color, not that I understand their concepts…" she turned to him and looked at him curiously.

"How do you get away with it?"

"Me?" Ryou blinked? "I—I don't dye my hair."

Lydia furrowed her brow. "So what, you're albino or something?" She leaned in closer, and without his permission, began petting his hair.

"No!" Bakura sputtered. "It's just naturally this color!" he froze when he felt her fingers in his hair. She picked up a few strands, inspecting them a moment before releasing his hair and sitting back, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Well, you're a lucky bastard then. You've got real nice hair," she then chomped on an apple.

Taken aback by her compliment, he hastily began patting down his hair as if trying to smooth it out.

"Thank you…" he mumbled.

"So," she began, munching on her apple noisily with her mouth open. "How about you come with me after school to show me where I can buy some hair dye, seeing as you find me so interesting and want to help me with my reading?" she offered slickly. "Wouldn't want to accidentally buy purple or green or something."

He seriously doubted even if she couldn't read completely she could confuse _that._

"Sure, no trouble at all, Lydia," he agreed. Bakura had no obligations after class. His father was never really home to expect him back and he spent the rest of the day alone.

"Great," she smiled just as the bell rang. She got up swiftly and picked up her tray. "See you after school then, Ryou."

She ran off before he found his own voice to say goodbye. He realized rather pathetically as he gazed down at his own tray, that he had completely forgot about finishing his lunch.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks for all the feedback everyone!_

* * *

><p>Black Dragonfly<p>

Chapter 3

* * *

><p>"…<em>You like her…"<em>

The voice caused a cold chill to run up his back. It echoed in his head like it was hollow, made his stomach sink and his breath to still. That voice… it had been so long since he had heard it…

Ever since they had put the Spirits of the Millennium Items to "rest," Ryou hadn't heard much from the inside the Ring. As it turned out, only the spirit of Zorc was banished from the Ring. The old and mangled remains of the thief remained inside of him. It was a strange realization, as without the truly evil presence, the likeness of himself therein was rather subdued, solemn and broken. The years spent attached to that evil creature had left the man but a shell. It was horrifying to witness, like a rabid animal being stripped naked. It was exposing a weak inner self. He instantly felt connected to this person, even though he had _never_ truly conversed with it. Zorc had only used its voice. It was always that overwhelming darkness that controlled him, never so much the vessel of the thief… For the longest time, the Spirit that remained in the Ring did nothing but ramble like a mad man. Zorc was gone, but the damage still remained. It had ripped the thief's soul into shreds, tearing a place for itself to nestle inside of him and throwing out the pieces it didn't need. What remained was a wraith, a shroud of his former self. He always felt it, a presence lingering in the back of his mind. It had never spoken to him before, it had only made noises. The first time it laughed at him was when he had an embarrassing accident slipping in the bathroom. The sound had scared him until he realized what it was. Since then it turned to growling and snickering and even on occasion the rare weeping. But never, until now, had it actually _spoke._

"You…" he said lamely.

He was in the boy's lavatory. For the time being it was empty and safe to address the issue.

"Why…? Why…?" he couldn't find the words to say.

"_Why what, you little shit?" _ He grumbled hoarsely, trying to sound angry.

"You've… you're talking to me…." Ryou mumbled pathetically.

The spirit was silent for a bit.

"…_Miss me?" _ He could basically feel the Spirit grinning.

The boy shook his head.

"No… No it was never really _you _though, was it?" Ryou breathed out. "It was always that… that _thing."_

There was another long silence. The Spirit was thinking, possibly trying to give an explanation of some kind. It was entirely possible that he had spent this entire time recuperating the damage, slowly trying to meld back the pieces of its torn soul.

"_You make it sound as though there was a difference,"_ he finally said. The words echoed in his head. _"Do you know what it was like, being invaded by that thing? Have it… fester inside of you? Claw its way into your mind, rape your conscious with—"_

"Stop! Please," Ryou whimpered, leaning against the sink. He didn't want to remember it. He didn't want to draw upon the memories that were still so fresh in his mind; still not yet scabbed. He tried to bury the event and move on, but he could never truly move on, never truly forget what he went through. The pain, the anguish, the horror and fear, the blinding suffocation…

The Spirit obliged his plea and lapsed into silence.

"Why… why are you here?" Ryou breathed heavily, grasping his head.

"_Where would you think I would go?"_ the Spirit sounded frustrated by the question. _"Where would you expect I could go, you little shit?"_

It was stupid, Ryou knew. The Spirit was forever bound to the Ring, even if they released the evil presence within. It was Ryou's job to be the protector of it. It was a burden he gave to himself, and one he knew he was destined for. He didn't answer the Spirit's question.

"_So now what?"_

Bakura didn't honestly know. What now? What could he possibly do now that he was no longer under the influence of the Evil One? Could he still take control of his body? The Evil Spirit had always spoken to him in lies, lies that were so beautiful and corrupt that he didn't even realize that it was clawing its way slowly and permanently into his own psyche, controlling everything he did. Somehow he felt that the Spirit left behind was not strong enough to accomplish that level of manipulation.

"I…don't know."

There was another silence, one that stretched on. There was an odd feeling of relief though, that suddenly washed over him. A sense of closure. He had never once been able to speak clearly to the Spirit, and it was now some unspoken peace between them. They meant no harm to one another- at least, not like before. There was no power controlling him, seeking the Millennium Items. There was no hunger to devour mankind and to kill and destroy. There was only this weakened shell of a Spirit trapped inside. The spirit was just tired. He was _tired._ Just as he could feel Ryou's emotions, likewise he could do the same with the Spirit. Where he once desired vengeance so fierce, where he was once blinded by hate, rage and suffering, now was just the crumpled, torn tired Spirit. It had been three thousand years. Three thousand long, excruciating, uncontrollable years of having that _thing_ boiling inside him, weaving that hatred and anger and corruption, drawing from it. Three thousand years of seeking vengeance that became a twisted game, a hatred and wrath that was used against him. His insides twisted and pulled pliant by that demon like a puppet. It was a long time to hold onto those emotions. He couldn't do it anymore. The fires of passion had long since burnt out. Now all that was left was a soul that utterly surrendered. While he in no way, shape, or form _liked_ the Spirit, there was a sense of truce declared between them. He knew without even needing it to speak, that he would not torture him the way that the Evil One had. What was left behind by Zorc was a broken, utterly defeated, but very much human, _tired man._

"…_She's a pretty one. Kinda dark though, eh?"_

Ryou flushed red again.

"You don't know anything," he dismissed.

He could hear the Spirit snort.

"_And you do? Trust me, little host. I know just as much about her as you do. I see everything you do, remember?"_

"Why even bring her up?" Ryou grumbled. He didn't want to talk about this with anyone, _least_ of all the Spirit in his Ring.

"_She's all you've been thinking about since you met her. In case you forgot, little host, we share the same mind. Everything you feel… I feel…"_

The words made him shiver.

"_It's nauseating, really. If I could think of something else, trust me, I would. Unfortunately, I'm currently in the host body of a teenage boy who can't even dream up half decent fantasies. Honestly, I was surprised to see that you felt anything. I always assumed you swung the other way."_ Another grin.

Disgruntled, the teenage boy tried to dodge the obvious insult. "Why are you all of a sudden so talkative, after so long of being silent?"

A pause.

"_I've been getting my strength back… slowly... but soon, I'll have it back…"_

"And then?" He choked fearfully. He could hear the Spirit chuckle in his head.

"_Fear not, Little One. I'm not going to harm you… you ARE me, after all…"_

A wave of relief washed over him, even though he felt no true danger from the Spirit, it was nice to have it vocalized.

"We aren't the same, you know," Bakura frowned. He heard the spirit laugh in response

"_Whatever you say… little host…."_

The voice died away after that, fading into the recesses of his mind. It was weakening, Ryou realized. He could feel the presence leave him and Ryou took a breath of relief. It must have used most of his strength to communicate. His nerves were shaking and he stood straight and ran the water, splashing his face a few times. This was a very interesting turn, and he didn't know what was in store now.

* * *

><p>His class right after lunch was the class he had with Yugi and his gang. It was the only class he shared with them this year. It was a nice change to finally be able to be near the boy and not have his Ring burn his chest. It used to be unbearable. Now there was no reaction at all. The Ring had lost its drive for power, probably lost a good deal of its own power as well. Even after they had locked up his Ring in that stone prison in Egypt, it had found him once again on his return visit. Though it lacked the evil it once emanated, it still called to him to be its keeper. Yugi's Puzzle, oddly enough, didn't return to him like Bakura's Ring had. It had probably something to do with the Pharaoh himself being the sole possessor of the puzzle. The Thief inside his Millennium Item was simply left over. As such, Ryou didn't want the boy to know he still had it; it would raise too many questions. Instead, he continued to wear it under his shirt, letting the cold metal rest against his bare skin.<p>

"..You guys have any classes with the new girl? I hear she's a cute scary foreigner."

It was Tristan's voice.

"Yeah, I have fifth period with her," Joey responded. "She's a weird one."

"So you think the rumors are true?"

"Tristan, don't be ridiculous," It was Tea. "Vampires aren't real."

"I didn't believe in Egyptian curses either, and look how _that_ turned out!"

Tristan was quickly shushed. And Ryou sighed.

"She's _not_ a vampire, Tristan," Bakura finally spoke up.

His voice caught them by surprise and they looked at him in mild shock. Ryou wasn't known for starting conversation, and they generally chose to leave him alone rather than include him in their little group, even though he went through the same experiences they did.

"_You_ have classes with her?" Tristan asked skeptically.

"Yes," Ryou sighed. "And I assure you she's _not_ a vampire. She's just…" a blush colored his cheeks. "…different." He finished lamely.

Tristan still didn't seem convinced. He sat back in his seat and rose a brow. Yugi spoke up next.

"So you talked with her?"

"A bit," the color still tinted his cheeks. "Mainly at lunch. She's new to Japan, you know."

"Lunch?" Joey jumped in. "And she didn't like, rip you to pieces? Were you there when she choked out that one chick?"

Bakura blinked. Choked out? Was that the rumor flying around?

"She didn't beat up anyone," Ryou shook his head. "That's a ridiculous rumor."

Joey sighed and sank back in his chair. "Oh, that's kind of disappointing. I would have loved to see it. Yuuki is a bitch."

Bakura glared half-heartedly at Joey for his comment. Tea chastised him in his place. It seemed the rumor mill was spreading all sorts of stories about Lydia, and he wondered if she was aware of them.

When classes ended, Ryou Bakura made his way to where he remembered her locker being. He didn't have to wait long until Lydia rounded the corner. He smiled at her as she approached, and she offered a small tilt of the lips; he couldn't honestly call it a smile. She collected the things she needed from her locker and turned to him.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Lead the way," she gestured.

Ryou didn't know why he felt so nervous as they left the school. He began to fidget and tense, awkwardly walking besides the girl. They walked down the road to where the corner store was. It wasn't far, but walking with her still made him feel anxious. He wasn't used to being in the company of girls, less so ones that he thought were nice looking. Sure, had had his little "fan club," but those girls honestly scared him. It was beyond creepy that they basically saw him as some kind of object. They treated him like a pretty doll they wanted to play with, and he always tried to politely avoid them. They honestly scared the hell out of him.

"So how long have you been in Japan?" Ryou forced out, trying to break the awkward silence.

She looked over at him, as if only now aware that he was walking with her.

"About a month," she answered. "We stayed at a hotel until our place was finalized and our stuff came."

"It's quite the culture shock," Bakura smiled. "Though I guess you are used to it, you mentioned that your father travels?"

"Yeah," Lydia sighed. "Mostly we used to just travel through the States. Then we moved to a few places in Europe, and now here."

"What does your father do?"

"Retail Buyer. He purchases retail, monitors inventory and consumer trends. Basically, he convinces companies what products they should buy and sell."

"Oh, sounds interesting."

"You don't have to lie," Lydia looked at him amused. "It's a pretty boring-ass suit job." They walked a few steps. He didn't want to stick his foot in his mouth, so he said nothing. Lydia, in reply, laughed.

"What about you, what do your parents do?" She suddenly changed the subject, and he was…somewhat thankful.

"Oh um," Ryou had never really been asked about his family and he felt awkward talking about it. "My father is an archaeologist."

"Now _there's_ an interesting job," she raised a brow. "So he what, digs up bones, trying to discover Atlantis, Indiana Jones shit, or what?"

Ryou blinked. "Indiana- what?"

"Never mind," Lydia shook her head.

"He is primarily focused on Egyptology." His voice was small.

"Oh… so pyramids and mummies and all that business."

"Yeah," Ryou murmured.

"So he must travel a lot, too," The girl concluded. "He must not be home too often."

"No, no he isn't," Ryou agreed. In fact, he hadn't seen his father in almost six weeks. He got a letter from him two weeks ago saying he would be gone for probably another four.

"Must be lonely."

The boy looked sharply up and met her eyes. She stared at him knowingly, but with an understanding look on her face. It wasn't a judging expression, nor was it one of pity.

"Yeah," he nodded his head. "But, you get over it. I rather like being alone."

She seemed amused at the fact that he mirrored her own words from earlier. Sensing his unease on the subject, Lydia thankfully dropped it.

"So where is this corner store you mentioned?"

"Just up the road," Bakura pointed ahead.

The remainder of the walk was spent talking idly about less personal matters. Bakura learned that she was into rather, well, dark things. Apparently she collected animal skulls. He'd be lying if he said that didn't weird him out a little, especially when she offered to show him them when she noticed his horrified expression.

"So what made you go with blue?" Bakura asked when they made it to the store, gesturing to her hair.

She looked at him curiously as he held open the door.

"I got tired of purple."

Bakura blinked. "How many different times have you dyed your hair?" he asked in wonder.

"I don't really remember," Lydia's eyes rose heavenward in thought. "lots."

"And your parents allowed it?" Ryou wasn't exactly used to it. She was so different from all the other girls he'd met.

"Not really," she smirked. "At first, anyway. My father hated it and I was grounded for a month. But what could he really do? He wasn't going to shave my head." They laughed a bit. "Anyway, eventually, he just accepted it, convinced himself it was a phase, just like the rest of it."

"Rest of what?" Bakura questioned in confusion. Lydia looked at him like it was obvious. Instead of answering, she turned and stared at the shelves of hair dye in every color imaginable.

"And here I go, onto my march to conformity," she announced. She pulled off a black and a brown dye, and held them up to her head.

"Well, what do you think? Black? Brunette or..." she quickly grabbed another box. "Ginger red?"

Ryou was at a loss, not at all comfortable with this decision. He was hardly a beautician and couldn't possibly make the right choice. He wasn't equipped for this. Was there a wrong answer? Would she be horribly upset with him if he chose poorly?

"Umn… what's your natural hair color?" he offered lamely.

Lydia blinked at him for a second before smirking and putting the colors back except the black one.

They made it to the checkout and Lydia paid for her dye.

"I appreciate this, Ryou. It was nice of you."

Her gratitude made his cheeks heat up again.

"It was no trouble," he said in a small voice, looking away. He awkwardly began walking with her in silence. He stopped on the curb.

"Do you know your way home from here?" he suddenly asked.

Lydia paused and looked around. She turned a few times, nodding her head in what seemed like understanding. Her mouth formed the word "yes" when her nodding suddenly turned into an awkward shake of her head.

"Not a clue." She looked at him in amusement.

Bakura smiled at the behavior.

"Where do you live? I can walk you. I know the area pretty well."

"Nice of you," Lydia began walking after giving him her address.

The walk to her house wasn't as awkward as the trip to the store. She had asked him of his hobbies and he had explained to her that he dabbled in Duel Monsters and his favorite games here RPGs. She looked at him in complete shock, and when he asked what the problem was, she said she didn't peg him as a role player.

"You don't seem like the nerdy type," she chuckled.

Ryou wasn't quite sure what that meant.

"Do you play?" he asked.

"Duel monsters?" she rose a brow. "Nah. I have a bunch of the cards I think look cool, but I don't play."

"Any siblings who do?"

She gave him a weird look.

"Duel Monsters is really big in Japan, isn't it," she seemed to realize.

"Yeah, it's what most people play," Ryou offered.

She thought for a second before answering his question.

"I'm an only child."

Ryou wasn't surprised. She had the air of a single child. He asked simply because he hated assuming things.

They stopped in front of a decently sized house. Ryou suddenly felt awkward again at the prospect of saying goodbye. Part of him yearned to flee, still intimidated by her and nervous, another part of him wanted to stay and hated the idea of leaving. Instead, he wound up standing in front of her house like an idiot.

She turned to him noticing his reluctance to move. She fidgeted.

"So," she offered. A silence followed. "Here we are," she broke in again. "My house."

"Yeah," Bakura agreed lamely. Another awkward silence.

"Well, thanks again for walking me around," she held up the bag of dye in her hand as she turned and walked up the steps of her house.

"Wait, Lydia."

She paused and turned to look at him, and Ryou nervously began running things over in his mind. Quick, what the heck did he want to say? Why did he instantly forget it? He began to fidget nervously. Lydia stared at him expectantly.

"Uhm… well, I was wondering. You said you are new to the area, right?"

Lydia looked around her then back at him pointedly and nodded her head as if it were obvious. Well, it was obvious, wasn't it? He was being ridiculous.

"Would… I mean, would you like me to show you around some time? Maybe this weekend? That is if you aren't busy or anything…"

His nerves were making his words jittery and he was quite sure he sounded like a frightened animal.

She paused for the longest time, then a slight huffing chuckle escaped her mouth.

"What, like a date or something?"

Ryou's face immediately burned bright red. His heart constricted at the prospect and his mouth fumbled with a reply.

"No, no! Of course not!" he laughed nervously. Was that a bad thing? Should he have asked her on a date? Was it too soon? Did he even want to?

"Well in that case, sure. You're not really my type, anyway. I 'd like someone to show me around."

Something inside Ryou deflated at her words. Rejection and dismay smacked over him harshly and he didn't even know why.

"See you at school tomorrow," he heard her say but didn't look up. He kept staring at the ground dejectedly until he heard her front door open and close. Then, he heard a loud, unabashed cackle inside his head.

"_Smooth. Real smooth, host!"_

Scrunching his face up in irritation, Ryou turned in a huff and began to walk home.

"Be quiet," Bakura grumbled, but he didn't, the laughing only got louder.

"_I don't think I have ever seen anything more pathetic in my life!" _

"I said be quiet!" Ryou hissed, beginning to pout and stomp.

"_No, seriously! A ha! Oh—by the Gods, I'm pissing!"_ Ryou grit his teeth. The Spirit didn't even have a body to even _do _that! He grumbled at the laughing man, more than humiliated and he wasn't making it any better.

Catching onto his thoughts, the Spirit controlled his laughter long enough to speak.

"_What did you expect her to say? She probably has balls bigger than YOU. Haha! Little host can't even formulate a coherent sentence around her without tripping all over himself and rambling like a pansy!"_

"Oh, like you would know anything!" Ryou sniffed. He heard the Spirit snort.

"_Oh please. I could have that bitch begging to crawl into my bed. Unlike you, I'M not some sissy little ninny that can't talk to women."_

Ignoring the obvious insult and lack of tact, Ryou did hear something that interested him.

"You think you're that good?"

"_You want proof? You want my help?"_

It was Ryou's turn to scoff. "Hardly. The last thing I need is to have _you_ giving me advice on my love life."

The Spirit laughed in his head.

"_Trust me little host, you're going to need all the help you can get if you plan on wooing HER!"_

"And what is THAT supposed to mean?" the teenager glared.

"_Face it kid, she's out of your league. She's into that dark shit. She's got fire. I know the type. Likes it rough and challenging, someone powerful, confident. She doesn't want some prissy little boy who knits tea cozies in his spare time!"_

"I do not-_!_" Ryou stopped himself and took a breath. "I'm done having this conversation with you," Ryou frowned. Why did the Spirit feel the need to insult him every chance it could?

"_Figures you'd find the ONE girl not chasing after your bishi ass to be the one to pine over…" _The Spirit grumbled before Bakura heard him fade away. He didn't reply to the comment, but it made him frown. Was that part of it? Why was he even considering the Spirit's words? It wasn't like he knew anything about women. He had been locked up inside the Ring for thousands of years. Ryou shook his head quickly of the idea and climbed the stairs to his apartment.

* * *

><p><em>...annnnnd he's back. I was hesitant at first if I was going to write the Spirit into teh story, but he found his way in by himself and I couldn't really resist. I have learned through reading other fanfics, that quite a few people like to write "Yami Bakura" back into the story even after the events of the animemanga without a clear reason as to HOW __he came back. Another thing I noticed is what people define the Spirit as. Most people seem to believe he's basically a darker sexy alter ego to Ryou, or even the Thief King Himself. Now, I could have been reading it wrong or didn't understand what I was watching, but I was pretty sure that the Spirit in the Ring, the thing that is controlling Ryou and allianced with Marik and all that jazz was not some evil Ryou Bakura but really a giant black horned demon with a dragon-head penis. This is why I never understood romance stories with him. I do believe that the thief's spirit is still in the Ring, but its clear that he isn't the force controlling Ryou, especially since The Ring had used the same power to control the Thief King. So this was my long-winded explanation of my own personal depiction of the Spirit. Anyway, this rant is going on too long. Thanks for reading and please review! _


	4. Chapter 4

Black Dragonfly

Chapter 4

* * *

><p>Lydia had finally organized her room.<p>

By organized, she meant unpacked her books and knickknacks and thrown them on the shelves, clothes shoved into drawers or piled on her bed, posters applied to the walls and music thrown on the floor by her stereo. The only thing remotely "organized" was her collection of skulls, neatly arranged from species along her desk and dresser. Her room was about as organized as any teenager— somewhat messy, cluttered, posters, voodoo dolls— dark, but average.

She lay on her belly on her bed, now fully set up with a frame and black sheets, frustratingly trying to do her homework. She grumbled to herself, pressing too hard with her pencil half the time and constantly needing to replace the graphite, until she sunk her head and flung the work off her bed. It clattered against the floor somewhere, among the other mess, pages being bent in the process.

She heard her father come in a good twenty minutes ago. Like usual, he was on the phone, dealing with work and would no doubt come talk to her any minute now.

Just as she guessed, there was a knock on the door. Her door was ajar and so he peeked in.

"Nice hair," he nodded, looking over her now solid black hair. She hadn't had it that color in years. "How was school?"

The girl groaned and buried her face in her blanket.

"That bad?"

"I fucking hate Japanese…" she grumbled.

"Watch the language," he frowned and opened the door and looked inside. The floor was covered in things she had yet to put away properly, including clothes, shoes and a few figurines.

"I see you gave up trying to set up your room."

She gave him a sneer. "This IS set up."

Mr. Guttman rolled his eyes. "How can I forget. My daughter, the neat freak."

"Yeah, yeah," Lydia rolled over. He noticed that on top of changing her hair back, she was back to wearing her dark makeup, her black lips forever standing out on her pale skin.

"Going somewhere?"

"No," she snorted rather unladylike. "Just felt like doing something. Trying to remind myself that I am an individual. Wearing that uniform was starting to make me feel like a wallflower. Plus, I don't want the holes to close."

"You don't look anything like a wallflower," her father huffed. "And I don't think a few days will make your piercings close up."

She grumbled but said nothing more about it.

Mr. Guttman sighed and went back to a previous problem.

"You are having problem with Japanese?"

Lydia shrugged, sitting up.

"Just the written part. Some kid at school says he'll help me with it, it's no big deal."

Her father looked pleased.

"So you're making friends?"

"Yeah, I said I'd listen to you, and you say I don't," she snorted.

"Well aren't you a surprise."

"Yeah," she absentmindedly began tapping her toes. "Name's Ryou. He showed me where to get the dye and wants to show me around this weekend."

"Same guy who is willing to give you lessons?" her father looked at her.

"Yep."

"You must really have him smitten," he chuckled.

Another unattractive snort came from her.

"Oh please. This guy is so proper and sweet I'm surprised his teeth haven't rotted out. Guys like that don't go for girls like me."

"Then what do you supposed he's doing?"

Lydia shrugged. "Probably doing it 'out of the goodness of his heart.'" She fluttered her lashes dramatically. Then took on a sober, bored expression. "Hell if I know. Probably feels bad cause I'm a new student or something. I'm humoring him for the time being. Willing to put up a bet how long he lasts before he runs away screaming? Either that, or I corrupt him." She took on an evil grin.

Her father raised an eyebrow.

"Be nice," he intoned, turning to walk out. Before he left, he turned to her. "You may be surprised, don't write the kid off. Hell, he can't be any worse than your last boyfriend."

Lydia groaned and sank her face into her blanket again.

"Pops… shut up…"

"I'm ordering in. I don't feel like cooking," he called from down the hall.

* * *

><p>"<em>You know, I bet those diamonds are worth a pretty penny."<em>

Ryou groaned in his head as he tried to focus on school work. It was hard. Since the Spirit had finally voiced itself, he had become quite vocal about things whenever he grew the strength to do it again. It was at random intervals, sometimes about how much he hated how "wimpy" his host's body was when he dressed, or making disparaging comments about people he thought were "not fit to be alive and breeding," –he thought that one most of the time. Now it was on the girl who sat right in front of him. She had her hair pinned up in a twist, revealing her slender neck and her rather giant diamond earrings. Her family was one of wealth, and she seemed desperate to showcase that fact. Clearly, the Spirit was bored, and his only source of amusement was tormenting him.

'Oh, be quiet you!' Ryou tried to silence in his head. 'You don't even know if they're real.'

The Spirit snorted. _"Fuck a mule, I've been a thief since before your ancestors were shoveling shit in the Pharaoh's stables. I know real loot when I see it.'_

Bakura rolled his eyes and looked away from the girl, effectively cutting off the Spirit's scheming visuals. 'Don't even think about it.'

"_What? It's not like I could try even if I wanted to. I'm too weak to control this body, _if_ I even can, that is.'_

Bakura's eyes widened. He'd been wondering the same thing himself. He assumed only time would tell if the Spirit would be capable of controlling his body. The thought of having his body taken over again caused him to shiver. He had been dropped into the black isolation before, and he had no desire to experience it again.

Shaking his head, his eyes darted to focus somewhere else, and naturally, they focused on the only other person in the room Ryou's eyes were drawn to. Lydia sat there, eyes gazing bored at the blackboard, high poofy pigtails now a solid black. He heard what sounded like a retching noise in his head.

'_Ugh, not this again. Can't you look back at Miss 'I have filthy rich parents?' Or what about that nice watch your professor has on…'_

'I like her hair better this color.' Bakura remarked; Indeed, she must have dyed it the night after he went out to help her pick it out. He felt the Spirit roll his eyes.

'_Yes, we've already agreed on that. You won't stop thinking about this bitch and her hair. Will you just fuck her already? Gods, I'm getting sick of putting up with your teenage hormones! They're driving me insane!'_

'Too late for that,' Bakura scoffed, and then tried to tune him out. The Spirit's voice began to fade and it wandered off, grumbling to himself along the way. He shook his head again and tried to focus on the lesson.

* * *

><p>It was now Thursday, and Thursday meant he had classes with...<p>

Ryou's heart was thumping as he quickly jumped behind the wall, pressing his back firmly against it. He heard the high pitch giggle again, the sound that was like razors to his ears, ripping him open and tearing him apart. The sound caused a wave of dread to wash over him and panic to take its place. The tittering was that of a demonic tune; an unholy bell in the church of the devil. Every mournful toll was like a summons to his demise.

"Bakura-kun! Where did you go?"

The voice made the hair raise on the back of his neck. The creatures were looking for their prey; and they wanted to find him and devour him.

"Bakura-kun! –I think he went this way!"

The steady thumping of his heartbeat accelerated. He could hear it pounding in his chest. It too was trying to escape. It was as if it wanted to pop out of his chest and run for its life, leaving his body behind.

The sounds were getting closer. The light patter of feet echoed in the shells of his ears. Closer, closer, _closer…_

"Bakura-kun! There you ar—!"

His eyes had been clenched shut, ready to be assaulted by the horde of demons, ready to have their claws tear at his body, rip from him any amount of sanity he had. But nothing came, their sudden silence wrung in his head. Alarmed and somewhat reluctant, Ryou blinked up and looked to be the cause of their sudden halt.

He saw them, three of them. They looked like clones of each other in their uniform. Same hair color and style, same uniform, same gob smacked, terrified expression. The only difference was their heights. To Ryou, they looked like a multi-headed beast –a hydra.

Somewhat perplexed by their horrified, gaping faces, he turned to see what they were staring at, and met with the sight of Lydia Guttman. Her face had an apathetic expression. Lips in a tight line, eyebrows slightly furrowed. She stood no taller than the other girls, but she seemed to dwarf them. Her poofy black pigtails made her appear slightly taller.

"What do you want?" she said flatly, clearly not amused.

"G-Guttman-san! We... we were just looking for Bakura-kun!" One girl was brave enough to speak up.

It seemed even though she had hardly been at the school for a week, she had a reputation. Ryou wondered if they thought she would choke them like everyone believed she did.

Lydia briefly cast her eyes on his shaking form, barely a glance, only one to let the others know she was aware that he was present, but not enough to linger.

"I don't think he wants to be seen by you," she suddenly stood up taller.

"B-But… you wouldn't understand! We adore Bakura-kun!"

Lydia blinked at them rapidly before slowly walking over to the trembling Bakura.

"That's awfully sweet girls, but you all need to calm your tits."

He heard a few of them gasp at her slur as Lydia turned to Bakura and grabbed his arm, slowly pulling him away. "Come on, Ryou…"

"_Ryou!?"_ one of them gasped. "You- you can't call him _that!"_

Lydia turned to the girl and gave her an exasperated look.

"And why the fuck not?"

They inhaled sharply at her vulgar words but Lydia paid them no mind, she quickly used the time to pull the scared Bakura away from the girls. They called after them, but Lydia turned swiftly and yelled at them where they stood.

"You all are crazy as shit! Go stalk someone else!"

Bakura didn't know quite how to respond at first. He was petrified at having been found by his… fan girls. But when Lydia came, he felt a stronger wave of horror. He didn't know why, but the conflict made him terribly uncomfortable. He was utterly grateful that she had saved him from their clutches though.

He safely made it to lunch. Lydia said not a word about it as she got her food and he didn't say anything until he sat down.

"Thank you, Lydia. I don't know what I would do if you hadn't come."

Lydia took a large bite of her roll and gave him a curious look.

"Most guys I know would love that sort of attention," she chewed her roll, her bad habit of talking with her mouth full going full force. "Are you gay or something? I mean, it's fine if you are, I'm only curious…"

Mortification colored his cheeks and he shook his head quickly.

"No! No, I am not like that," he mumbled. "I just don't like how they treat me like some toy…" It wasn't an unusual question, as much as it still embarrassed him. Most of the guys at school often picked on him because of it. He knew he was somewhat more… _soft_ then what was normal for guys.

"Hm," Lydia took a drink. "If you don't like them, then why don't you tell them to piss off?"

Ryou sighed.

"I can't tell them to do… do _that!"_

"Why not?" Lydia snorted. "They're psycho. If you don't want someone to be around you, just tell them so. It's your personal space."

"I wish it was that easy…" Ryou sighed, picking at his own roll. "I'm not as strong as you are Lydia. I—I'm not so good at… speaking my mind."

"You mean being a bitch," Lydia corrected.

Bakura wouldn't have used that word at all, but mean-spirited or antagonistic had come to mind briefly. She so easily told people to leave her alone if she didn't like them, and here he was scared to hurt the feelings of a bunch of girls. Why was he so scared?

"You're not a—" he couldn't finish the word. "You're not a mean person, Lydia."

The dark girl almost snorted out her food.

"You're full of crap," she chomped another bite of her roll.

"You're not mean to me…" Bakura said in a small voice. "I like you." There was that blush again. Damn it.

"Well, you're a strange one, then," Lydia shrugged. "You know, most guys would be completely humiliated at being 'saved' by a girl." She smirked.

Bakura opened his mouth to speak but shut it.

"I thought we established I wasn't like most guys," he smiled. "And I don't mind the help, especially by a pretty girl."

Crap. He hadn't meant to say that. Is face burned a brighter shade of red and his shoulders sunk. He wanted to disappear under the table. What would she think now? This entire week, Bakura had tried as hard as he could to try and make her notice him as a _guy, _but tried to be subtle. But all his attempts died miserable deaths and resulted in either him mumbling over his words, Lydia staring at him blankly, or the Spirit in his Ring laughing his ass off—or a combination of _all three._

Instead of being mortified by his slip, Lydia seemed entertained by it.

"Ryou, have you ever had a girlfriend?"

He blushed harder by her question. How was he supposed to answer that? _Why_ had she asked him that? Was it because he seemed so inept? Was it because she was interested? It seemed more like she was amused with the fact that he was embarrassed so much by simply paying compliments, he _had_ to be inexperienced. He was acting like a naive, innocent teenage boy. But damn it! He _was_! Was she getting amusement out of his mortification?

The subject was dropped when he heard Lydia chuckle lightly and sat back, taking a loud bite out of whatever was served to them today. Ryou tried his hardest to pretend what happened this afternoon never happened at all.

* * *

><p>Classes were slowly starting to get easier for her. Since she had quickly established that she didn't like people, most people avoided her like the plague. Some out of general fear (Did you hear? Guttman murdered three students at her last school and that was why she moved here!) and some out of social fear, no one wanted to be seen with the foreign <em>freak<em>. She paid no mind to it. Lydia was used to being ignored and being labeled the misfit; at seventeen she had quickly grown out of the need to constantly "fit in." Having moved so much helped her breech that. She eventually went out of her way to make sure people saw her as such. It meant they left her alone. Since she had to move constantly, she really couldn't make too many lasting friendships, so in time she had taught herself that it didn't matter what kids thought.

Her father was a big supporter. He was always positive, even if he wasn't around much, and was the main reason she never crushed under the pressure of bullying. It was just immature to her. The way she saw it; if they were afraid of her or thought her creepy, for whatever reason, it meant they stayed away from her. Lydia liked being alone, and she wanted it to stay that way, even if it meant people thought she was some sort of freak.

It wasn't that she was emotionally disturbed or terribly abused as a child. Everyone liked to believe that a child has to go through some trauma in order to be what they call "anti-social." Lydia never really had any real major issues like that, other than her constant moving. She had quickly learned how to entertain herself and not need other people. Besides, if she wanted social interaction, there was the internet. The difference was you can turn your computer off when it pissed you off. Humans unfortunately didn't work that way.

The only one who didn't seem to get the memo was Ryou. He was a strange one, and Lydia didn't know what to expect from him. He kept approaching her and talking to her, but he always sounded like he was a frightened animal and always seemed like he was scared to death of her .Not to mention he was so damn polite she wanted to break his teeth in sometimes.

Since she had started at Domino City, Ryou had sat with her at lunch and talked with her, and she had humored him, purely out of amusement and to appease her father. She had never known someone to be so sincere and courteous. He piled it on so thick that it almost felt like an act. How could someone be that good-natured and sensitive? He looked like the kind of guy that would cry while watching Bambi for god's sake. It blew her mind that such a person could exists—and be so honest about it. She _knew_ he wasn't faking it, and she honestly felt generally stumped by that.

Nice people irritated the shit out of her. She couldn't stand them. Goody-two-shoes namby-pamby boys and girls were so sickeningly sweet it made her want to vomit. They were always so perky and happy and never seemed to understand that there was a darker side of life, or maybe they just had a candy cane shoved so far up their ass they never experienced the real world themselves. Lydia didn't know.

Most people faked sincerity or kindness in order to get their own ends—Ryou seemed to go out of his way to help people even at the cost of _himself._ It was cruel, but she had tested this theory by claiming one afternoon that she forgot her lunch money to see his response. He not only bought her lunch, but refused to accept anything she offered. She was clearly baffled. She didn't know what stumped her more, the fact that his behavior annoyed the hell out of her, or that it fascinated her at the same time. The boy was so poor and weak and easy to manipulate and so eager to please… she reminded him of a puppy, and instantly smacked herself for thinking of it. Great, now she was comparing people to _cute_ things.

They made an odd pair, the two of them. She was the intimidating, scary, unapproachable goth and he was the pleasant soft spoken well-mannered boy. They were opposites in every possible way. It made no sense as to why they even hung out. Even kowing this, or maybe because of it, it amused her the image they made walking down the hallways.

She grumbled as she went her way to the library. It was Friday. For the whole week, Ryou had stuck by his word and taught her Kanji. He proved to be a patient teacher, but even she had to admit, her progress was slow in coming. He never showed any outward signs of annoyance at her whining or inability to grasp certain symbols, and it began to irritate her. Didn't the boy have _any_ mean bone in his body? Anything? Didn't he get angry? Or grouchy? Did he ever lose his temper? Hell, even a twitch in annoyance would make her happy. It would let her know he was _human._ The only thing the boys seemed capable of was sweetness and courteousness. The boy was practically an angel.

Or at least, he appeared to be. There was something always almost unhidden behind his smiles. He had all the signs of a boy who was abused in some way; how submissive he was, how quick to please, how he shirked at the slightest raise of a voice or conflict, even when he wasn't involved. Lydia wasn't blind, but she also wasn't invasive. It was his own business. She didn't know him well enough to meddle with things that didn't concern her. Hell, maybe she was just making all this up and Ryou was just the little Cherub he acted like his entire life since he fell off of a cloud in heaven. She rolled her eyes. The part of her that wanted to humanize him liked to think differently, however.

Either way, he was a nice kid. Sickeningly so, but nice. He never did a thing to her that made her think he was dishonest with her, and watching the boy tremble and fold into himself when she became the tiniest bit frustrated was somewhat amusing to her. She wouldn't say she was annoyed with his company. It was strangely… nice. Yes. It was nice.

Snort.

"Is something wrong?"

Lydia snapped out of her thoughts and turned back to the pale haired boy next to her.

"Oh, uh, no, sorry," she shook herself of the thoughts and tried to focus on the book in front of her. "Continue."

Bakura stared at her for a bit, but complied, only to stop again a minute later noticing her drifting attention.

"Maybe we should quit for the weekend," Ryou offered simply, closing the book in front of the two. Lydia wasn't about to argue the point, and sat up as he gathered his material.

"What time should I pick you up tomorrow, Lydia?" he asked as they finished packing their belongings.

Lydia stuffed her papers carelessly in her bag and looked at the boy. That's right; he said he'd show her around this weekend.

"Let's meet up at lunch; twelve work for you?" she threw her bag over her shoulder.

"Yes, that will be fine," he smiled at her. "I guess I'll see you then." Another tinge of red touched his cheeks as he looked away.

"Yeah." Lydia offered a small smile before turning and walking away. "See you."

* * *

><p><em>Here is Chapter four, hope you all have a good weekend. l Please review!<em>


	5. Chapter 5

Black Dragonfly

Chapter 5

Saturday morning came faster than Ryou had thought. After leaving school on Friday, Ryou had what felt like a rock in his gut. He both dreaded Saturday and was eager for it at the same time. The nerves kept him up late into the night. The Ring had been restless in his groaning about it. Because Ryou had been up tossing and turning and worrying, so was the Spirit, and he wasn't too happy about it. When he got up, Ryou showered and dressed, the Ring snarking at him the whole time.

"_Can we just hurry up and get this day over with?__"_ the Spirit whined. "_I don't think I can take it watching you primp yourself in the mirror for another minute."_

"I'm not primping," Ryou frowned as he adjusted his shirt, a simple light blue t-shirt and an equally simple pair of faded jeans.

"_No, of course not," _he heard the Spirit scoff. "_Not like you're going to impress anyone, anyway."_

"I'm not trying to impress anyone." he paused. "And what's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"_Nothing. Just like there was nothing wrong with the last fucking shirt you tried on."_

Ryou got his point. Maybe he was putting too much thought into this.

"This isn't a date," Ryou mumbled, scanning his image in the mirror. He didn't quite know if he was trying to convince the Ring or not.

The Spirit rolled his eyes. _"Right. You already fucked that one up yourself. Do me a favor and quit your bullshit."_

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bakura brushed up, combing through his hair. He heard the Spirit give an exasperated sound.

"_Fuck a mule, did you forget I'm in your head?" _he scowled._ "I know what it is your feeling, hell; it's been making me nauseous the entire week! Don't play stupid with me!"_

"I'm sorry, I can't help that you are leeching off my body and invading my mind!" Ryou snapped.

"_Hey, hey, relax there landlord, I'm trying to help you here."_

The thought alone made Ryou blink. "Why?" the boy frowned.

"_Call it sympathy or pity or a general desire to finally get laid, I don't fucking care. At this point, I'll do anything to shut up your over exaggerated fantasies." _The Spirit was silent for a while. _"Now, I know a thing or two about women, especially girls like that, trust me. If you really want to woo this girl you will do well to listen to me."_

Bakura frowned, unsure what to say or if it was even worth arguing. He himself didn't quite know what to do, and was pretty stupid to keep trying to deny to… well… _himself _if he did or didn't like a girl. It was true, the Spirit could see and feel his thoughts and emotions, so it would be pretty stupid to continue arguing with the obvious.

"What do you know about girls, anyway?" Ryou asked. "You've been in the Ring for over three thousand years."

"_Shut up and listen to me, you little shit!" The Spirit growled. "Now go in our closet and get that leather jacket."_

Ryou wanted to say something, but held his tongue and did as told. It was way in the back, but Bakura fished out the black leather jacket and threw it over his shoulders.

"_It won't do much for your meek personality, but at least it makes you look more like a man than a girl."_

Ryou frowned. "I do not look like a girl." He would agree though, the jacket did make him look less… vulnerable. Quickly he brushed his hair out from under his jacket and left the room.

He heard a snort in the back of his head. _"Oh please, you look like an albino creampuff. Put you in a dress and no one would question a thing."_

"This is your body too, you know," the boy reminded as he walked out of his apartment and locked the door.

"…_Don't remind me."_

They had agreed to meet at the corner just before their school; it was more or less the halfway point from their houses. It was a bus stop, so they could hop on when they met up and go downtown to show her around. Ryou was a little anxious when he noticed he was the first to arrive. He nervously took a seat at the bus stop and fiddled his fingers. Doubt suddenly washed over him. What if she didn't show up? What if she rethought her idea to come with him and ditched him? Ryou sighed and tried to shake the thought off. No, Lydia had already proven to him that she didn't hold back what she really felt about something. If she didn't want to come, she would have told him so, not ditch him.

"_Don't look so nervous, you're making _ME_ uncomfortable," _he heard a grumble in his head.

'Spirit?' Ryou made sure to ask it in his head, not willing to be caught apparently talking to himself in public.

"_Yes me, who else would it be?"_ he could feel him roll his eyes. _"Now, let's get this day over with."_

Ryou sighed. 'Are you going to be there the whole time?'

There was a resonating scoff. "_Don't think so highly of yourself. It's not like I have a choice and can _leave_ if I wanted to," _he grumbled.

He was staring at his fiddling hands in his lap when a pair of black boots stepped into his vision.

"Ryou?"

Immediately, Ryou's head snapped up and blocked out the Spirit. He smiled on instinct.

"Lydia!" he smiled, standing up suddenly. "You're here."

She gave him an odd look. "Of course I'm here. I said I would be."

Ryou nodded, "Yes, of course." Then he paused.

"_Idiot," _he heard a hiss. _"Don't just stand there! Tell her she looks good!"_

It was then that he actually looked at her and he blinked slightly at what greeted him.

"Lydia, you look…" he broke off in surprise.

It was Lydia, only… darker. Her hair was in her signature high poofy pigtails, but her eyes were heavily powdered with black makeup, and so were her lips. There was a piercing in her nose and a ring around her lip. She was wearing what looked like a tight buckled black corset over a long sleeved equally black blouse and a knee length black skirt with even more black lace. Her legs were covered in fishnets and fitted into the boots he had seen earlier. He blinked again.

Lydia quirked her brow, smiling. "…Different?" she finished for him. Bakura could only nod in agreement.

"_Good one," _the Spirit snorted. _"You're fucking hopeless, I hope you know that, host."_

'Hush,' Ryou hissed at the Spirit.

"Yeah well, this is the normal me when not dressed up like a Japanese school girl." She eyed him up and down. "I'm not going to scare you away now am I?"

"_Don't fuck this one up!"_

"No, not at all!" Ryou quickly shook himself. It was a change from what he was used to seeing with her, but it oddly fit.

"Good," she smirked. "You're not as fragile as you look."

Her smile made his stomach clench again. The black lipstick she wore made her white teeth really stand out. He learned he liked her smile.

"You know," she began in an over exaggerated sigh as she collapsed onto the bench. Her feet kicked out in front of her. "Most people don't understand it; not willing to have an open mind." She looked him over again. "Especially someone who is so… light, innocent looking. Nice jacket by the way."

"Thank you," Ryou said softly, fiddling with the zipper of said jacket. "And I don't mind it at all… it… suits you."

She smiled again and his face heated. He couldn't help but feel like he just passed some sort of beginner's test. Her smile made him feel that this wasn't just a chance. It felt like a test and he passed it. A wave of relief washed over him for some reason he couldn't explain.

Just then the bus pulled up. They both shot up and Lydia nodded her head towards it.

"Come on, show me the sights, _hikari_."

The little nickname made his heart thump. He didn't respond, only smiled and followed her on board.

They had wandered around the city throughout the day. He brought her to the popular spots, the park, the arcade. He showed her around the museum and she took quite a bit to the Greek exhibits and the Egyptian ones, jokingly asking how many his father dug up. She had gone into a very detailed and gruesome description of how a mummy was prepared, all with this kind of morbid fascination. He had stumbled his awkward words, with the Spirit constantly barking in his ears to say something or to yell at him when he did or said something stupid.

"_Can we get out of this shit hole of a museum?" _

Ryou was surprised by the outburst. 'I thought you would like it, considering your history and all…'

Another snort.

"_Yes, it makes me all giddy inside to see my ancestors dried up like raisins next to a display that has what my people used to use to brush their teeth with. I'm thrilled."_

Ryou suddenly perked up. "How about we head out, there is a game shop just down the road from here."

"A game shop?" Lydia rose a brow as they headed out.

"Yes, they mostly sell Duel Monster's merchandise. Its run by the Mutou family," Ryou explained. He felt something inside his head perk up.

"Why does that name sound familiar?" Lydia asked, squinting her eyes in thought as they rounded the corner.

"Yugi Mutou is the World Champion Duelist," Ryou supplied, leaving out his affiliation with him.

"_Yugi Mutou? You mean that little shit of a Pharaoh? Why the hell are we going there?" _Ryou cringed at the voice.

'Calm down please, you know the Spirit of the Pharaoh is gone.'

"Hmm… Duel Monsters has a following, but it's not as big in the U.S. I never got too into it, but the name does ring a bell… wait a minute." Her eyes opened wide and she turned to him. "Isn't he that short kid with the crazy hair at school?"

Ryou laughed. "Yes, that's him." The Spirit in the Ring snorted.

"Shit, I didn't know there were celebrities at our school," she looked stupidly at the door as Ryou opened it up. "He always looked taller and well… meaner on TV." The bell jingled. "No wonder he can get away with that ridiculous up-do."

"Actually, I think his hair is natural, too."

Her eyes widened again. "No fucking way!"

The boy laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "Come! I'll show you some things."

Yugi wasn't in, off hanging out with his friends, so his grandfather waited on them. Lydia acted a bit surprised when the old man inquired about him as if they knew each other. Ryou had to explain that he was somewhat friends with Yugi.

He quickly changed the subject and showed her around. She had looked at several cards, notably fixated on the rather dark looking ones, and eventually moved over to the miniatures. She picked one up and looked it over; a giant, fleshless beast with bulging, almost pulsing muscles and horns. Bones stuck out in stark contrast to the blood red of its exposed flesh. Wings like a bat sprouted from its back, dark purple veins stretching across its tissue.

"Summoned Skull," Ryou supplied. "A fiend type. It's pretty powerful."

"This thing is awesome," her eyes scanned over the surface of the mini statue before flipping it upside down. Her eyes went comically wide. "And _way_ out of my price range." She laughed and set it back down. "What kind of cards do you like, Ryou?"

He smiled. "Maybe I'll show you my deck sometime."

'_I'd like to show her MY di—"_

'I swear if you make any licentious jokes about your body parts, I WILL throw you in the washing machine.'

The Spirit grumbled, but said nothing.

"Sounds good to me," she nodded. They left the store shortly afterward.

"_I'm hungry. Can we get something to eat? Preferably a piece of meat?"_

Bakura frowned, but conceded the idea, after all, if the Spirit was hungry, it was because he himself was as well.

They had decided to stop to eat at a burger joint. Grabbing a table, they idly talked about this and that. Ryou listened as she began to talk about some horror movie she wanted to see, and that the only true thing she missed about the States was that she couldn't bring all her movies with her because of the formatting. It surprised him how easy it was to talk to her and how much he enjoyed hanging out with her. Despite their obvious differences and tastes in things, she wasn't judging and showed general interest in the things he brought up he enjoyed. In fact, it was the fact that she was so honest and blunt about things that he liked the most. It was nice to meet an _honest_ person now a days, not someone who wanted to coddle him or treat him like some sort of charity case.

Yugi and the gang always made him feel that way. Sure, they were nice enough to him, but Ryou always felt that it was forced. They were nice to him because they felt generally bad for what he had to go through. They were "friends" with him because they pitied him and felt he deserved friendship after what they went through. It was why he never felt very close to them. They didn't really like him, they didn't know anything about him really, other then what the Ring had put him through, and it hurt to know they never even attempted to get to know him. He didn't want a charity friendship. The girls that trailed after him at school only liked him because of how he looked and how "nice" he was. He wanted honesty and someone who was down to earth enough to not treat him differently, or walk on eggshells around him all the time.

Lydia was more than bluntly honest, she was almost insultingly so. It was alarming at first to hear her openly insult people at school. She seemed to have an opinion about everything and wasn't afraid to voice it. He envied that in a way; or maybe it was more of a respect thing. Ryou could never find the strength to do something like that.

"I told you, I don't like bullshit. Or drama," she added when it was brought up. She took a rather big bite of her burger, chewing loudly with her mouth open. A smudge of ketchup escaped and colored the corner of her mouth. "You're a nice guy, Ryou, maybe too nice. That's probably why people take advantage of you and all that stuff. If you acted like a total bitch like me, well, you may not make too many friends, but at least you'll know the truth and not be surrounded with phonies."

"That's a depressing outlook of life," Ryou said, taking a sip of his drink.

"Well, that's life," Lydia shrugged. "It's pretty much a shit hole no matter what you do. Then you die."

Ryou didn't know if he agreed with that philosophy. Even though he had been through so much, he was an optimistic spirit at heart.

"Until then, if you have any trouble with people, just call me and I'll set them straight," she grinned at him. "Consider it payback for showing me around."

Ryou laughed with her. It was weird and her concern was touching, even if it was in a misguided sort of way of wanting to help him. He doubted it would ever really come to that, but it was still touching. His Spirit didn't quite agree and continued to make snide remarks about how he was so pathetic that he needed a girl to protect him. He ignored him and continued eating.

"So tell me, what does your mom do?" she asked suddenly, and Ryou felt like he was splashed with cold water. "You already told me your dad is an archeologist. What about her? Stay at home mom?"

Ryou was silent, his smile falling and he stared at the table. It had been a long time since he thought about his mother, and he really didn't want to talk about it now.

"She… passed away," it was painful still. Ryou had never really talked about his mother with anyone other than his psychiatrist. His fingers played with the straw of his drink, thoughts turning dark.

"Holy shit, really?" Lydia's eyes went wide. "Sorry I brought it up."

"No, its fine," the boy smiled softly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I just… haven't thought of her in a while."

There was an awkward silence.

"Was it recent?"

Ryou shook his head. "I was ten. Car crash."

Another uncomfortable silence. He really didn't want to talk about it.

"…So it's just you and your dad?"

"Yes."

Lydia's eyes fell to the table, her black fingernails ripping and folding the foil from her burger.

"Me too."

Ryou's eyes lifted and looked at her. Her eyes shifted from her hands to his eyes.

"They divorced when I was nine," she explained. "Mom and pops fought a lot. She didn't like constantly moving around."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ryou said softly. Lydia shook her head dismissively.

"Nah, its okay. They hated each other. Best thing for them." She sat up suddenly and looked out the window.

"Enough depressing talk. It's getting late, we should probably head back now."

Ryou followed her eyes and saw that indeed it was getting dark.

"Yes of course, let's go."

The bus ride was quiet, but not all together as awkward as their other silences. When they reached their stop, Ryou insisted in walking her to her house. When they were reached the steps, Lydia turned to him.

"Thanks again Ryou, for showing me around. You make a good tour guide."

Ryou smiled in response.

"Thank you, I had a good time."

"You're a good friend." She returned the smile and turned to enter her house. "See you in school tomorrow!"

He heard her door slam and then the sound of irritated growling. Frowning, Ryou turned to leave and stared at his chest.

"What?" he said exasperated,too frustrated to care if the world would hear him talking to himself.

"_What the fuck was that?" _The Ring growled.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

There was a snort. "_Oh please, you just let her leave! Just like that! You didn't even stop her and invite her out for the evening!"_

The teenage boy frowned.

"This wasn't a date, Thief," Ryou humphed. "And I told you before, I _don't_ want your help."

He heard the Spirit scoff again and he could imagine him sitting there with his arms crossed.

"_Whatever. I know you'll eventually come begging for my help, and maybe then I'll laugh at you and tell you to fuck off!"_

"I don't need your help with romance," Ryou snapped. Again the Spirit snorted.

"_Who the fuck said anything about romance? I don't romance, I _seduce._ Besides, you have the finesse of a cripple thrown into a pool when it comes to dealing with women."_

"Oh, shut up," Ryou grumbled, face heating up as he stomped his way to his apartment. He had a good time, and nothing the Spirit could say could change his mind.

"_She called you a friend. A friend! You don't want to be stuck there, little host, or you'll never get into those black lacy underthings..." _he could feel the Spirit grin. Ryou could feel the temperature rising and his face heating up as unbidden thoughts began to assault his mind._ "Just think about it. Probably small and black and with just enough lace to cover her little—" _

Ryou's face was beyond red. He felt the blood rushing into his ears and he shook his head violently.

"Knock it off! That's just improper!"

Another scoff. _"You're such a fucking pansy I don't even understand. Why couldn't my host be another French Aristocrat! Now HE knew how to have a good time, even if it was only the 18__th__ century… So ahead of his time…"_

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I am fine and I can do this on my own, thank you very much." Ryou was beyond indignant and marched into his house, closing the door behind him. He'd work out how to talk to Lydia on his own. He didn't _need _the Spirit for _anything._

* * *

><p><em>Well then. Ryou's thoughts seem to be driving the Ring to some serious frustrations. Whatever will they do? Does he truly want to help, or is he simply doing it for his own piece of mind? Pfft, yeah, I think that answer is obvious. Ryou's fluffy teenage attraction must be nauseating to sit through on a hourly basis with no way to filtering it for someone like the Spirit. I almost feel bad for him. The real question is, will Ryou ever listen to any advice given? and Will any of the advice even work? Guess we'll have to found out. Thanks for reading! Please review!<em>


	6. Chapter 6

Black Dragonfly

Chapter 6

It became a habit after that. Lydia and Ryou would eat lunch together and then go to the school library after the final bell rang to practice her Kanji. Little by little, Ryou was getting over his initial unease of the dark girl. He was still nervous around her, but it was for completely difference reasons. Originally, Ryou was scared of how harsh she was. He was utterly terrified about the prospect of her rather imposing nature. He would feel guilty about it if it wasn't for the fact that she seemed to have that affect on everyone.

She wasn't lying when she said that she preferred to sit by herself and that she didn't mind that people talked about her. It shocked him at first. He didn't understand how she could be so nonchalant about how people saw her. Didn't it bother her that people called her a freak? That people thought she was mentally unstable? A psycho? A Vampire? A Witch? She was whispered about all the time. By the following week, most people either forgot she existed, were wary or afraid of her, but mostly people laughed at her; behind her back, of course. They had gotten over the jitters of her standoffish nature and her cold glare. Most people now instead of freezing in fear now just stood silently and whispered loudly about her as she walked passed. She was pretty much a laughing stock.

He wasn't any better. While he was far from popular (most of the boys at school hated him for one of two reasons; because he was so effeminate looking or because he had a "fanbase") but he was generally left alone and usually ignored outside those fan girls. Now however, they began whispering about him as well, simply because he talked with her. Ever since He had showed her around the city, people gossiped. The fan girls were convinced she put a spell on him. He didn't know who saw them that weekend, but he was paying for it now. Rumors flew like people breathed. People either gave him bizarre stares or asked him why he was hanging out with "that freaky gothic chick." "He was too nice to be hanging out with a girl like her" they would say. "What is that sweet boy Bakura doing with that gothic freakshow?" It was downright insulting.

Luckily, Ryou had never put much into his acquaintances in school so he didn't mind their talk. He was very similar to Lydia in that sense. He was used to being socially misfit, and he was used to being the outsider and being alone. He liked hanging out with Lydia, even if he did constantly make a fool of himself.

In all honesty, Ryou knew he was absolutely horrible when it came to talking with people; even worse to girls he liked. Well, to be fair, he never really met one that he really liked. Because of his rabid fan girls, which always seemed to exist in every school he went to, he was generally turned off to the idea of girls in general. It was weird for him, because it made him question his own sexuality. Ryou was too shy to ever bring up the subject to even himself, let alone ask someone else about it, but he knew he wasn't attracted to men. So then what was he? He knew that he liked girls, that he found them attractive, but never had he actually _met_ a girl that made him feel that way. He'd be lying if he said he'd never gotten aroused, but that was never with someone he knew in person. So what was wrong with him? Why had he never met a girl in all the schools he had gone to and blushed madly and got hot under the collar? If he wasn't so naive and embarrassed by the subject, Ryou would have classified his disinterest as asexual for the majority of his upbringing, but he never knew that such a thing was and never knew it had a name, so he just continued to assume something was horribly wrong with him.

His body worked the way it should. Ryou Bakura was by no means the saint people thought he was. He had woken up with erections before and he knew how to get rid of them. He had embarrassingly fantasized about nameless, faceless women with great bodies, but never had any of the girls he had met made him feel that way, even when he could openly admit that they were attractive. Maybe the issue was how much he hated actual physical contact with people. Growing up so alone made him shirk at it, and he found it rather unpleasant most of the time. He wasn't used to it. Or maybe it was an intimacy thing. Maybe he couldn't envision himself being with someone he didn't know in a very serious way. Was it possible for love and affection to control whether he got aroused by an actual woman? That thought was just ridiculous. However, he had no idea what else could be the reason other than he was just simply mental.

The Spirit of the Ring didn't help at all, either. His constant leering into his personal thoughts and adding his two cents worth did nothing but degrade him and make him feel worse about himself. He constantly threw insults about how he was a eunuch. That the only reason he wasn't "getting any" was because he was a "prissy little fuck" who wanted to be cuddled and romanced like a girl. Ah yes, The Spirit was unrelenting with the homosexual jokes. It was honestly really bothering him now. There could only be so many times he could be called a gay or a faggot before he started to question himself all over again. Yet, the Spirit knew his deepest thoughts, his deepest emotions and turmoil. The Spirit _knew_ him. He knew his feelings better then anyone else. The only question was if the Spirit was goading him on purpose or was it actually true and Ryou was just too naive and innocent to face the truth?

This of course, was something that was clearing up in his mind recently. Since Lydia was the first girl he felt any real desire to get to know, he was confident that things would work itself out and that the Ring was wrong about him. The problem was in the fact that he had no idea how to talk around her wihtout fumbling over himself.

Lydia kept pointing out his awkwardness, in her natural blunt, socially graceless way. He knew she wasn't being offensive on purpose and that it was just her weird personality, but it was mortifying to have the girl constantly notice and vocalize his social ineptitude. She probably saw him as incompetent and dense. The embarrassment was almost enough to have him give up all together.

But, as much as the Ring had been patronizing, as offensive and rude as he had been, he was also encouraging, in a weird sort of way.

As much as the Spirit liked to pretend they were so different, they were, in essence, the same person. The same body, and in a way, same mind. The Ring didn't want Ryou to be miserable and "pent up" and rejected, because being so would make him miserable as well. In his crude, probably selfish sort of way, he would suggest things to say and grumble words that made him have hope for the next time. Truthfully, Ryou was beginning to think he _should_ start asking the Spirit for help. He surely wasn't getting anywhere, and Ryou Bakura was determined.

"_Its disgustingly cute how you fumble over your first crush," _the Spirit snorted as they watched the girl in question grab her lunch. Ryou said nothing as the girl approached his table, and like she had been for the last two weeks, took a seat next to his.

He noticed that her tray, like usual, contained the bare minimum of vegetables possible and was over-flowing with the starchy, carbohydrate-heavy and the meat slathered. She immediately began stuffing her face with a roll. She began talking with her mouth full about how the food at this school was so much better than the slop they served in London. Though, she still did question what part of the animal the meat was.

Ryou was only half paying attention. He picked at his own food. Ryou wouldn't use the word "cute" to describe what he was feeling, though he was still convinced that he wanted to get to know Lydia on a more personal level. He had woken up from some very interesting dreams the last week and all involved Lydia. Though, the Spirit of course still laughed at him, calling him a prude even in his dreams. Ryou didn't care; the idea of kissing her highly appealed to him but he just couldn't find it in him to get her to actually see him in that way. So instead, he fell into a ritualistic "admire from afar" take on things and contented himself for the time being to simply be her friend.

He heard a loud snort coming from his Ring.

He frowned and shifted it under his shirt, as if to tell the Spirit to knock it off.

"…you listening?"

Ryou snapped to attention and looked at Lydia, who was staring at him with a raised eyebrow. Had she said something…?

Cheeks burning with embarrassment, Ryou shook his head.

"Sorry," he smiled apologetically. "I was distracted."

Lydia cocked her head to the side.

"Yeah, okay," she drawled. "I was just saying that I'm going to have to skip our lesson after school today."

Ryou blinked. "Really? Why?" he actually looked forward to teaching her Kanji.

Suddenly a dangerous grin crossed her face.

"My dad left for Tokyo last night, he'll be gone for a couple weeks."

This news surprised him somewhat.

"What? So you'll be all alone?" the parallel to his own living situation struck him.

The black haired girl shrugged off his concern. "We've been over this, remember? Pops is always going out on business trips. I'm used to taking care of myself."

"So what does this have to do with you being busy after school?"

She gave him a look.

"Oh come on, your dad is gone a lot too, what do _you_ think?"

He stared at her for second, not quite catching what she was referring to. Was there something he missed? It made him feel rather stupid and he blushed. In response, a tender look crossed her face. She gave him a soft smile and shook her head.

"You really are the innocent one, aren't you?"

It was breathy and half chuckled. It wasn't a sound of mockery, but one of pleasant realization.

She gave another slight chuckle and continued. "It means I don't have a curfew. I made plans for the night."

Oh. Ryou should have known. It was rather usual for a teenager that was given free range to do whatever they wanted, he guessed. Ryou himself was never too interested in breaking the rules or partying. He rather liked staying home and being quiet. He supposed a great deal of that was because of the impact the Ring had on his teenage years that kept him from what most would call a normal youth, but it was something that Ryou still wanted to accredit as just part of his personality. He just wasn't the rowdy rule-breaking type, with or without the Ring's influence in his life.

"It's a school night," Ryou felt the need to mention. He knew that it was a half-hearted attempt to persuade her, but he still said it. "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna use the afternoon to look up directions. You know there are three cemeteries, all within reasonable bus routes of us, in Domino?"

Ryou's eyes widened and he blinked several times. "C-cemetery?" he stuttered. "Why would you want to go there?"

"Are you kidding me?" Lydia asked as if it was beyond obvious. "I love visiting cemeteries after dark. I've been to each and every one in every city I've been to. They're so peaceful." A faraway look came across her face. "There is such beauty in death, you know? Walking through the graves, the perfect winter's chill nipping at your skin, the dark sky, black as pitch, the smell of fresh soil and grass…"

Ryou shivered at the thought. Graveyards were not something he would ever call beautiful. Common sense told him ghosts and ghouls were things from fairytales, but that didn't mean that Ryou Bakura was so keen on the idea of walking over dead people's graves. It gave him the chills. He supposed that for Lydia it made perfect sense though. She was so strange, and was fascinated so much by the morbid and macabre.

Her eyes were shining, lost in some fantastical thought, before they turned to him. Her twinkling eyes danced with mischief. "You wanna come?"

"M-me?" Ryou gulped, suddenly very nervous.

Her smile didn't let up. "Yeah, I could use the help navigating, Mr. Tour guide," she gave him a mischievous smile. "You wouldn't want me to get lost downtown in the dark by myself, would you?"

Ryou suddenly felt very trapped and nervous. "But...I'm...I'm not very fond of graveyards..."

Her eyes narrowed a bit playfully. "You're not scared, are you?"

"I… no, but…" he sputtered over himself, tense and a tad bit unnerved by her request. Ryou Bakura didn't do spooky things, including graveyards, but he didn't exactly want to seem like a wimp in front of Lydia, either. Yes, the idea of spending time alone with Lydia made his heart skip a beat, but never in any of his day dreams did those instances take place in a cemetery.

Unfortunately, Lydia decided to answer for him.

"Great. I'll meet you at the bus on the corner then? 6 o'clock."

The lunch bell rang, signifying classes would resume shortly and Lydia got up before he could properly respond.

"Don't forget to bring a jacket. It's bound to get chilly."

* * *

><p><em>So, this chapter is more like a prelude to the events happening at the cemetery. It was a bit too long so I wound up breaking them into two chapters. This chapter is more or less focused on Ryou and his confused thoughts. I like to imagine Ryou is more complex of a character then a lot of people paint him to be because of how effeminate and submissiveshy he acts in canon. I always believed that the Ring for one, played a huge role as to why he was so sensitive. Sexuality and gender are very complex things. Someone could exhibit boy or girl traits even though they aren't of that gender and not be homosexual. Its a very complex topic and I think Ryou is a great example of that. Its one of the reasons why I don't agree with many people's decision to immediately write him off as gay. I actually think most of the time its a rather lazy assumption to write him off as just based off of his immediate gender qualities. He's a very deep and conflicting character that deserves a more in depth look. :) Anyway, thanks for reading. Please review!_


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